To Love A Jinchuuriki
by tiffywiffyfluffykitty
Summary: Minato, Jiraiya, and his team are sent to Uzushiogakure on a special mission to guard the hotheaded, hot-tempered heiress of the Uzumaki Clan. Why are the Kumogakure hounding after her, what is the secret she holds within her, and will she ever accept Minato's love and love him back?
1. Chapter 1

**I know I have Stolen to work on and so many other fanfictions as well, but I can't help but start on this MinaKushi idea. By the way, guys, read my other MinaKushi fanfiction as well, will you? I'm kinda disappointed by the lack of reaction for both Red Confessions and Take Me Away. Thanks a lot :3**

**Review please, if you like! :D**

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**Chapter 1**

Although Minato Namikaze cared for his students deeply, he had always found it trying whenever they started arguing. Once again, Kakashi Hatake and Obito Uchiha were arguing over a trivial matter as their medic ninja, Rin, nervously tried to stop them.

"Ah, kids," Jiraiya chuckled as he walked next to Minato, who hurriedly went to stop Kakashi and Obito before they started getting physical.

Minato breathed a sigh. "If only they would stop arguing. It would really make my day."

"Cheer up! Uzushio is just up ahead. Take them to dinner and forget about everything!"

His former student gave him a look. "We're at Uzushio for a mission, Jiraiya-sensei. And I would really appreciate if you don't go around hitting on girls and peeping at them. It gives Konoha a bad name."

"Lighten up, kid," Jiraiya said. "I'll do it on the sly."

Minato groaned, his eyes rolling to the sky. Still, he knew it was the best they could hope for.

Minato, Kakashi, Rin, Obito, and Jiraiya are on a special mission from the Sandaime to go to Uzushio, where the details of their mission would be revealed. Because Uzushio and Konoha were close allies, the Sandaime entrusted the best of them to go as a sign of good faith, therefore sending out Minato, his team, and Jiraiya, who was there to check up on the times.

Before long, the gates of Uzushiogakure appeared. The pillars supporting the gates were inscribed with the sign of their village and also of one of their most prodigious clans, the Uzumaki's. The gates opened before them and the group from Konoha was greeted by the Uzushio's Kage, as well as two or three shinobi.

"Welcome to Uzushiogakure," the Kage said, extending his hand to Minato and Jiraiya. "I trust that your journey here was safe and well?"

"We were fine, thank you," Minato replied. "Could you tell us about the mission?"

The Kage chuckled. "So serious. Very well. A few months ago, shinobi from Kumogakure attacked our village and we, despite our best efforts, just barely managed to drive them away. We know they'll attack us again soon and it is out hope that you can help us defeat them."

"Why are they attacking you?" Jiraiya asked.

The Kage hesitated slightly. "They were targeting the heiress of the Uzumaki Clan. She helped fight off the shinobi but her parents were killed trying to protect her, poor girl. A trusted family member stepped up as the head of the Uzumaki Clan until she is ready to take her place, which is after we are sure that Kumogakure aren't going to try anything else. Until we are certain she is safe, you can go home."

Jiraiya nodded. "That sounds just about right. Where is she?"

"_She_ is right here," a voice spoke up and they all turn around to see a beautiful young woman standing on top of the nearest building with her arms crossed. She wore a tan kimono-like blouse with an embroidered border of thick stitch-like markings and a black sash tied around her waist, a dark skirt, thigh high black tights, and black sandals and she wore her forehead protector with a dark cloth and with the sign of Uzushio on it. Her eyes are a stormy gray that flashed violet at times and her hair was a thick, beautiful red which was a trademark of the Uzumaki Clan and reached down to the back of her thighs. Her face was tight with anger.

"Kushina," the Kage sighed and she somersaulted off the building to land in front of Minato, glaring into his eyes.

Minato was speechless. She was one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen. Her red hair mesmerized him, and he could tell that she had a temper as fiery as her hair.

"I don't need a bodyguard. Especially not a flaky boy like him!" Kushina declared, pointing her finger at him.

This time, Minato was speechless for a different reason. Flaky boy?

Behind him, he could hear his students and Jiraiya smothering their laughs. Kushina leaned forward so that her face was very close to Minato's. "Listen here," she growled. "I can take care of myself, so stay out of my way and go home!" She whirled around and leapt away, jumping from building to building until her noticeable hair disappeared.

Minato looked at the Kage with raised brows, to which the old man said, with a helpless shrug, "She's an… unusual girl." He looked into Minato's eyes and said in a serious voice. "The most important thing is that you must never, ever let her lose control of her anger. If she does… it could very well spell the end of Uzushio."

"Can you tell us why?"

The Kage shook his head. "No. It's a highly guarded secret of ours and one we are not willing to divulge just yet." He smiled and pointed to where Kushina had disappeared to. "Kushina had gone towards the Uzumaki estate. I'll have one of my shinobi show you there." He gestured to a man dressed in a black shirt with armor. "You will stay close to Kushina to protect her, make sure she is never alone, and always keep a lookout for Kumogakure shinobi. I will alert you if there are any changes." The Kage nodded at them and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Come with me," the shinobi left to guide them said, turning around. They walked through the slightly busy streets, where there are obvious signs of destruction from the latest attack. Almost everyone was working on repairs and no one bothered the Konoha ninja.

"Do you have a bath house around here?" Jiraiya asked. Minato gave him a look, but the Uzushio shinobi didn't blink an eye.

"There is one on the other side of the village. I would advise against peeping. The women of Uzushio can be as ruthless as Tsunade-hime from Konoha."

Minato snickered at Jiraiya's look of dismay, as did Rin and Obito while Kakashi smiled. The group soon came upon a grand estate encircled by sakura trees. A servant met the Konoha ninja at the door and led them to their rooms, which were a few inches away from Kushina's. The men shared one room while Rin had her own, which is right across from the Uzumaki heiress' room.

"This isn't too bad!" Obito said, grinning. His face soured as he looked at Kakashi. "But why do I have to share a room with _him_?"

"Stop arguing already," Minato said tiredly, settling his pack down. He stretched and sat down. "It's almost time for dinner, so pipe down a bit."

Kakashi sat as well. Jiraiya had already disappeared somewhere, so it was just the three of them. A second later, another servant appeared and announced that it was time for dinner.

As the stepped out, they were met by Kushina, who had changed into a lavender kimono that was patterned with cranes. Her hair was pinned up and she looked disgruntled upon seeing Minato, whose eyes widened as he took in her appearance. "Oh it's you," she said, sweeping past Minato. Without another word, Minato followed her through the halls, flanked by Kakashi and Obito, who were followed by the two servants. The procession walked through the halls until they reached a large dining hall, where they found a redheaded man who slightly resembled Kushina sitting at the head with Jiraiya sitting close by. There was no one else, but there were mats put down for at least a dozen more people.

"Welcome!" the redheaded man said. "I am Hayate Uzumaki, Kushina's uncle and temporary head of the Clan." As he spoke, Kushina went to sit next to him, and faced the rest of the hall with an expression that can freeze hot water.

"I am Minato Namikaze. These are my students, Obito Uchiha from the Uchiha Clan, Kakashi Hatake, and Rin Nohara."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Hayate said and looked at Kushina. "Kushina, try to be a little more polite."

But Kushina gave her uncle a killer glare and he sighed. "You're getting too spoiled."

Minato laughed and was instantly on the other end of her glare, which made him shut up and sit down. Across the room, Jiraiya snorted with laughter.

The hall began to fill up with redheaded men and women in their finery and they ate while introducing themselves. People took an interest in Obito, since he was also from an important clan, complimented Rin, and praised Kakashi for his skills, which they have heard of. Minato himself received several compliments on his Flying Thunder God Technique and he saw Kushina shoot several interested looks in his direction, but quickly looked the other way when he turned to look back at her.

After dinner, they walked with Kushina back to their rooms. Kakashi was put on first watch, then Obito, then Rin, and finally Minato. Right before Kushina disappeared into her room, Minato couldn't help but say, "Good night, Kushina."

The woman froze for a second then hurried in. Minato could've sworn there was a slight blush on her cheeks. Grinning, he rolled onto his futon and fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**I wrote this pretty fast so it's short, but hope you like the growing attraction between the two of them!**

**Review! :D**

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**Chapter 2**

Early the next morning, Minato found himself on the roof, watching as Kushina, once again dressed in the outfit he first saw her in, practiced taijutsu with Hayate in a small training ground behind the Uzumaki estate. She whirled and dipped, rearing up with a devastating blow to her uncle's stomach, which he blocked expertly, though not without little effort.

"Hah!" Kushina yelled with triumph, launching a beautiful butterfly kick, which made her hair flare up wildly and Hayate to stumble back from the blow. Minato's breath caught and something washed through him, leaving him confused, unsure of what he had just felt.

"Hey, Minato!" The blond looked down to see Jiraiya below him, waving and grinning.

"What's up?" Minato asked, leaping down.

"What's up is that I've seen you checking out Kushina." The perverted Sannin looked at Kushina with appreciative eyes. "And I must say she's not bad at all."

Anger and something else rose up within Minato and he snapped, "Stay away from her, alright?" He flushed and looked away when Jiraiya grinned at him devilishly. "We're just guarding her, so we can't do that."

"Riiiiight," Jiraiya said, smirking. "Well, continue on with your 'guarding' I'm off to look around. Lots of researching to be done." He winked at Minato and went off.

Shaking his head, and still wondering why he was suddenly so defensive of Kushina, Minato went back to watching her, hoping it'll clear his mind. Instead, he found himself mesmerized by the way her body convoluted and coiled, how her hair swayed with each movement, how her eyes flashed with determination and how nice her legs look—

Clearing his throat, he looked away and jumped back on the roof, where he was met by Kakashi. "Minato-sensei, do you know where's Rin and Obito? I can't find them anywhere."

Minato scanned the area. "I don't know. Maybe they're with Jiraiya?" He gestured towards Kushina. "I can't exactly leave her so you might have to go on alone."

"Alright." Without another word, his student disappeared in a flash and Minato went back to looking at Kushina, only to see that she was finished with her training. Hayate had left and it was only her alone, shaking back her mane of hair and wiping the seat from her brow with a towel.

Seizing the opportunity, Minato jumped down and strolled over to her. "That wasn't too bad," he said.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Like you could do better."

He gave her a pointed look and she flushed and turned away. "Oh all right, you _can_ do better. Happy?" she snapped.

"Well… not really," Minato said, grinning at her.

"What do you want, then?" Her grumpy look disappeared and a light blush coated her cheeks as he leaned in.

"How about you give me a tour of Uzushio?"

"That's it?" she deadpanned, raising one slender red eyebrow.

Minato shrugged. "Why not? It's not like we're going on a date."

At mention of the word 'date', Kushina's face flared up. "Why me?" she yelled.

"Well, I can't leave you and there's no one else so yeah, that's why," he said simply.

Kushina growled. "Fine. But you owe me for this, Namikaze."

"What, you have something better to do?"

"Yeah!"

"So what is it?"

"Anything is better than hanging out with you!"

"But you just agreed to."

"That didn't count, ya know!"

"It did and you know it."

"…"

"…"

"Agh! I hate you, Minato Namikaze!" With that, she stormed off, face red with anger.

Chuckling, Minato followed her, leisurely keeping pace with the girl.

He was starting to enjoy his stay here at Uzushiogakure.


	3. Chapter 3

**I think it's time they start getting to know each other better, don't you think? And about Minato, don't worry. He won't figure out how he really feels about her until later. Oops, I think I just let slip a spoiler. Ah well, you'll see how it turns out after a while. In the meantime, enjoy Chapter 3 and review please! **

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**Chapter 3**

Uzushiogakure was a peaceful village, like Konoha, although much smaller and decrepit, from the damages. A river flowed through the village and on the largest bridge, peddlers sold their wares; anything from bolts of fabric to wood carvings.

Kushina seemed to be on good terms with everyone in the village, although more than several glared at her and shoved rudely past her, which she seemed to ignore but with a slightly sad expression. Minato noticed, and nearly asked, but then Kushina turned away and greeted another person and he was left pondering this mystery.

Finally, they wandered over to a nearby bride and stood leaning over the railing as the noonday sun shone high overhead. Villagers milled around behind them, glancing at the Uzumaki heiress and the Yellow Flash of Konoha standing together.

"Young love," some cooed to others, making Kushina turn beet red with anger although Minato merely smiled and shook his head at her expressions, not knowing why he enjoyed them so much.

Eventually the crowds cleared off and Minato and Kushina were left alone save for an old woman pushing a cart and several children chasing a ball while a brown puppy with white splotches yipped after them.

"So…" Minato began, but Kushina cut him off.

"I know," she sighed. "You want to know why a lot of people hate me, right?" He looked at her expectantly and she exhaled, blowing a strand of red hair out of her face. "Well… some people like me and some people don't. That's the way the world works."

"Did you do something to them?"

Kushina snorted. "Yeah. By existing in the first place." Refusing to elaborate more, she turned away and walked down the bridge. "I'm hungry. You coming, flaky boy?"

"I am _not _a flaky boy." He walked next to her as they went into a tea shop for dango and green tea. Sitting down by a window that overlooked the river, he added, "And I don't think you existing is so bad."

The young woman in front of him snorted once again. "Minato, if only you knew."

"You said my name," Minato said, pleasantly surprised.

"Huh?"

"You called me Minato. Not flaky boy or anything." He leaned forward, propping his head on one hand and smiled. "It actually sounds nice, coming from you," he said truthfully.

Kushina blushed as red as a tomato before harrumphing and turning away. "I didn't mean to, ya know!"

Minato grinned and shifted back as the owner of the tea shop put down a plate of dango and two cups of green tea in front of anything. "Thank you," he said, slipping him some ryo.

"Let me know if you need anything," the owner replied and went back to serving others.

Kushina began popping dango in her mouth, munching briskly. "You're going to choke if you eat that fast," Minato said mildly. True to his word, she soon did, coughing as her face turned redder than her hair.

Thumping her back with his dango-free hand he couldn't help but wonder how different she was than any woman he'd met in Konoha.

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They left the tea shop soon after, Kushina still occasionally letting out coughs as they walked down the street. Minato kept an eye on her as they went and nearly walked past Jiraiya until he saw what was going on.

The pervert was peeping into the women's baths with a lecherous grin on his face. Groaning, Minato was about to drag his teacher away when Kushina shot past him and kicked Jiraiya in the face.

"OWWWWWWW!" the man screamed, clutching his nose and peering up at the furious woman standing above him with her hair streaming around her.

"You dirty pervert!" she roared, but before she could kick him again, Minato intervened by throwing his arms around her torso, restraining her arms, and teleporting them away back to the Uzumaki estate in the bedroom he shared with his students and Jiraiya, startling Obito, who was dozing around.

"Kushina, calm down," Minato sighed. After a few more seconds of struggling, she did, looking around with surprise.

"When did we get here?"

"I used my Flying Thunder God Technique." He let her wrench her way out of his grasp, feeling hollow in his heart as soon as she did, but made no move to take her back into his arms even though he wanted to. "I would appreciate if you didn't kill Jiraiya. Despite being a huge pervert, he's my mentor and like my own father."

"Doesn't he have any respect for women?" she retorted angrily. "I'm going back there to beat him up." She tried to march around him, but found Minato blocking her way. Her eyes narrowed. "Minato, I swear if you don't move out of my way _right now—_"

Obito spoke up. "I wouldn't. Minato-sensei can be pretty fast if he wants to." He grinned and left out the window before Kushina could yell at him as well.

Fuming, Kushina turned away and sat down on one of the folded futons. It's his, Minato thought abstractedly, but didn't comment and sat against the wall next to her. "I'll try not to kill him until you guys leave if you show me your Flying Thunder God Technique," she said.

"I already did."

"Not like that, ya know! How did you do it? What's your secret?"

Minato laughed. "Sorry, but a secret's a secret." He chuckled at her pouting face. "Alright, I'll tell you one." He reached into his pouch and brought out one of his signature kunai and handed it to her, hands seeming to deliberately brush against her beautiful hair. "Here, you can keep it if you want. It's actually better if you keep it on you at all times. I can get to you faster that way."

Kushina took it and held it up, staring at it blankly. "What's so special about it besides the shape? I don't see it." Her face brightened. "Is it the weird prongs on it? Is that your secret?"

"Sorry, nope," he replied cheerfully, watching as her expression drooped with disappointment. "It's just my signature kunai shape."

"It's a little heavier than my kunai," she commented, turning to him. "You said I can keep it?"

"It does help when I'm away from you. I can teleport to you instantly if I want." Minato smiled as she continued to examine the kunai, still trying to figure out the secret. "I'll tell you about the Flying Thunder God Technique one day, but I want something in return."

"What more do you want?" Kushina asked grumpily. "I already walked around the entire freaking Uzushiogakure with you today, ya know. Now what?"

He simply beamed. "Tell me about yourself."

Kushina scoffed. "Well someone wants to get all close and personal. Well, no thanks, but I'll decline."

"Aw, it's such a shame." Minato stood with an exaggeratedly depressed sigh, turning away from her to hide his wide grin. "I was going to train Kakashi and the others tomorrow using the technique. I thought you might want to watch."

"I do! I wanna, ya know!" she shouted excitedly, but frowned and said grouchily, "Alright, but I'll only tell you a little bit."

"It's a deal, then." He reached out a hand to pull her up, heart soaring when she accepted. "Is there anything you want to do today? I want to talk to Jiraiya-sensei about something."

"Is it about his peeking habits? Cause I wanna talk—"

"Sadly, no. It's about something else." He pulled open the door and stepped out to the hallway, Kushina following. "I'll have Rin watch you while I'm gone. She should be nearby."

"Alright then." She turned towards her room. "See ya." As she slid the door closed, Minato suddenly felt hollow again, with a sort of strange yearning, as if he wanted to see her again immediately. Shaking his head with bewilderment, he turned away and went to look for Jiraiya, wanting to know the reason behind the strange feelings he'd felt these past two days.


	4. Chapter 4

**Am I going too fast with the attraction between them? I was thinking in my head that they were going to hit it off right away and yet slowly at the same time. Is it working, or should I redo several chapters? Review your thoughts, please! :D**

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**Chapter 4**

Jiraiya tipped back his head and roared his laughter to the heavens. Minato stared at him with irritation. "What's so funny?" he asked.

"Oh nothing, nothing." But he howled once again, nearly falling over in his laughter. "It's just that— poor little Minato. Doesn't even—" But a peal of laughter cut off his own words and he finally fell, rolling around on the ground like a child.

Minato sighed with frustration, pinching the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes. "Jiraiya-sensei, I'm serious. Am I sick or something?"

At his words, Jiraiya laughed even louder, but managed to push himself upright for a few seconds, choking out, "Sure you're sick. In a way." Then he went back to laughing his head off in the dust.

"Really? What kind of sickness? Can I be cured?"

Now Jiraiya unexpectedly became sober. "Minato, this isn't some ordinary illness. And trust me on this one, you don't want to be cured. Oh hell, sometimes it isn't worth it, but in your case, it just might be." He winked at him.

"But what is it?" Minato asked, exasperated.

"Are you that stupid? I thought you were supposed to be a genius! Well, I'm not helping. You need to figure out this one for yourself." Jiraiya stood from where he and Minato sat beneath the eaves of some bar. "Well, I'm off for today. I'll see you maybe tomorrow."

"Maybe you should come back with me," Minato said, eyeing the rowdy bar behind them. "Seems to me you're just looking for an excuse to drink."

"Tch. You worry like an old woman, Minato. Let your old sensei have some fun!" With that he strode away, whistling. "Have fun figuring out your 'sickness'!"

He watched Jiraiya go then stood, his mind still full of questions. Not knowing who else to go to, he wandered through the streets on his way back to the Uzumaki home. He couldn't go to Rin for help and Kami help him if he went to either Kakashi or Obito either. Groaning, he flickered and disappeared, reappearing in his room in the Uzumaki estate.

Kakashi and Obito were waiting for him there and Minato forced a smile. "Good news. We'll be training tomorrow with my Flying Thunder God Technique."

"Alright! It's been forever!" Obito shouted, fist flying up in triumph and narrowly missing Kakashi's head.

"Watch it!" the other boy snapped.

"Oh yeah? Make me," Obito spat, drawing out a handful of shuriken as Kakashi prepared several kunai.

Minato hurriedly separated them. "Stop it, guys. You can cool off your steam tomorrow." He sighed and sat down as he realized that although the boys had put their weapons away, they weren't done with throwing insults at each other.

Rin came in, drawn by the commotion. "Obito, Kakashi, stop it!" she protested.

"Rin-chan!" Obito said, grinning, but the girl didn't give him a second glance.

"Minato-sensei, it's Obito's turn to scout," Rin said, smiling sweetly.

"Aw, but…" Obito grumbled something under his breath.

"Shinobi shouldn't slack off on their duties," Minato said sternly, but with a glimmer of amusement. "You should know that by now, especially if you want to be Hokage."

"Right! I'm off, Minato-sensei!" So saying, he once again leapt out the window.

Kakashi sighed. "Finally." He and Rin began a conversation, leaving Minato to his thoughts.

_What kind of sickness is this?_

* * *

Right after she left Minato, Kushina waited until she could hear the slight thump of his footsteps disappear before taking a deep breath and sinking to the ground, sliding along the door.

For some strange reason, she felt so… empty. She clutched her chest, hoping the feeling would go away, but then remembered Minato wrapping his arms around her for those brief seconds and she felt a blush creep up her face, heart thudding strangely. What was wrong with her?

Kushina looked down at the kunai in her hand, feeling the smoothness of the handle. Minato had touched this kunai once, maybe even fought with it. One of his precious kunai, given to her. Her blush intensified.

But why was she feeling like this? Like something was fluttering in her stomach whenever she remembered his touch as he transported them away from Jiraiya. Then her blush. She used to almost never blush before and now she was turning red every five seconds around him.

_Am I sick?_

She stood and put his kunai on her chest of drawers before collapsing on her bed with a sigh, still pondering these strange feelings. The sunlight was slanting across the ceiling of her room. Suddenly she sat up, realizing something.

For the first time since her parents died, she actually felt _happy._

It was just a little bit, but it was there.

Heart quickening, she stared at the wall. She could dimly hear shouting from the room next to hers. It was the Uchiha boy, no doubt. Maybe he was arguing with that Kakashi again. The shouting abruptly stopped and there was no more noise for a long time.

Kushina wondered if Minato was back yet.

She wondered if she should check.

But why did she feel so nervous? She was Kushina Uzumaki, the blunt, loudmouthed Habanero! There was no reason for her to feel anxiety just for checking up on what was going on next door.

Then she remembered that it would be strange to just barge in there without warning or reason. _Maybe I'll just say that I thought they killed each other. It was so noisy a few minutes ago._

Taking a deep breath, she marched out of her room and down the hall a few inches to stand in front of their door. Without hesitation, she whipped it open.

Minato's head snapped up from where he sat by the window. A few feet from him was Kakashi and the girl, Rin. They all fell silent, watching her.

Kushina stared back, suddenly forgetting what she had to say, and slammed the door shut, turning scarlet with humiliation and dashing back to her room, only to find Minato in there waiting for her.

She let out a small shriek. "What are you doing in here?!"

He raised a blond eyebrow. "What were you doing over there?"

"I- I don't need to answer to you, ya know!" Kushina stalked towards her bed and mutinously sat down, glaring at the floor.

Minato twitched slightly towards her direction, as if to sit next to her, but then thought better of it and sat on the chair in front of her desk, which contained a collection of shuriken, kunai, scrolls, and ink and brushes. "Well, I don't think you went over for nothing."

"Just wondering what was going on, ya know. It was noisy next door, ya know. Thought you guys killed each other when it got quiet, ya know."

"You say 'ya know' a lot."

"It's a bad speech habit," she sighed, taking a clump of her red hair in her hands and making a face at it before tossing it back over her shoulder.

That expression didn't go unnoticed by Minato. "Something wrong with your hair?"

"I hate it," she groused. "It's too red."

"Your family has red hair."

"Yeah, but mine is terrible. It's stiff and too long and the color's ugly—"

"I think it's beautiful," Minato said softly, coming over and taking up a few strands, running his fingers through it. "It's so soft and the color is magnificent." After scrutinizing it a bit more, he looked up to meet Kushina's eyes and they froze, suddenly realizing how close they were to each other.

Kushina's heart pounded out a furious beat. His eyes were so, so blue. Like the sea at noon when the water was bluest and clearest. His hair shone like silk and she suddenly felt an insane urge to touch the golden strands.

There was a knock on the door and Minato was back to sitting in the chair in a heartbeat, examining a scroll on her desk. Kushina snatched up another one and called, "Come in!"

Kakashi and Rin slid back the door, peering in. "Minato-sensei! What took you so long?" Rin asked, looking at Kushina, who was still slightly red.

"This flaky boy wouldn't leave no matter what." Kushina threw a scowl towards Minato.

Rin and Kakashi shared a look before backing out the door, seeming to barely hold back their smirks. "Alright… It's almost time for dinner though. Behave you two!" With a mad giggle, Rin shut the door and the two ran back, leaving Kushina gaping after them.

Minato groaned. "I'll never hear the end of it now."


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the long update! I got sidetracked with my MinaKushi, Inspiration. And speaking of Inspiration, I was disappointed when nobody seems to like it or read it or anything. Actually, instead of just being disappointed... it was more like I sulked for days over the lack of response, so if you guys can do me a favor and if you love my work, please check it out, drop a review, favorite it, follow it, whatever. I promise you that despite the crap ending and the sucky summary, it's worth the read! Thank you so much, sorry for how short and slightly crappy this chapter is, and review please! :D **

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**Chapter 5**

The early morning sun shone down upon the faces of Rin, Obito, Kakashi, and Minato, who stood in the middle of a clearing in the forest by the village. Kushina lounged on a wide tree branch, watching the proceedings below as she snacked on a rice ball.

"Alright, you guys will split up first while I use the technique to find you after a one minute head start. Then you need to try to throw me off any way you can. You can use any kind of jutsu you want. Teaming up is perfectly acceptable. If I can't successfully capture any of you by the end of the day, I'll treat you to barbecue back in Konoha."

"Yes! Minato-sensei's finally treating us!" Obito cheered.

Minato sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't…" He straightened and called out, "Alright! Start!"

The two genins and one chunin shot off and Minato was left alone in the clearing. Kushina watched him intently as he reached back into his pouch and drew out a bunch of his signature kunai. One by one the kunai were shot off into the forest, even one that lodged into the branch where Kushina was sitting on.

A second later, Kushina heard a quiet whisper. "Psst, Kushina." She turned her head to see Obito hidden in the foliage, gesturing to her with a wide grin and a finger on his lips.

"What is it?" she murmured, turning back to watch Minato as he stood still, continuing to count off the remaining seconds.

"Well, I heard from Rin and Kakashi that Minato-sensei was found in your room after you barged in ours yesterday. Mind telling me what you guys were doing in there?" his voice took on a suggestive tone.

Kushina flamed up. "We didn't do anything, ya know. Just talking."

"Oh right… I bet there was a lot of tongue when you guys were 'talking'."

It took everything Kushina had not to whip around and crush him with her bare hands. As such, to prevent herself from permanently injuring the Yellow Flash's student and one of her own temporary bodyguards, she pulverized the poor rice ball in her hand and let the sticky grains of rice fall from her hand.

Obito seemed not to notice. "Well, you're lucky. A lot of ladies are after Minato-sensei and they've always wanted to get a chance at making out with him or getting in his pants. If I was a girl, I also wouldn't think he's exactly a bad catch, if you know what I mean."

Kushina, now angry beyond words, took her rice-smeared hand and smashed it into Obito's face.

The boy fell out of the tree, alerting Minato's attention. Kushina followed soon after, bellowing obscenities as she tried to drive a foot into Obito's stomach. What followed after was an explosive taijutsu fight between the half-terrified Uchiha and enraged Uzumaki as they leapt around the clearing.

Rin and Kakashi came out of hiding to stand next to Minato, watching the two fight, sweatdropping slightly. "So… I guess practice is over, right?" Kakashi asked.

"Postponed for you two, actually. I think Obito is getting enough practice for today," Minato replied. He winced as Kushina kicked Obito in the behind, making him fly several feet into the air, screaming with pain.

Rin handed Minato back several of his kunai. "I thought you might want these back, Minato-sensei."

"Thanks, Rin," he replied, pocketing them. The three went back to watching Kushina and Obito fight.

"So… who's hungry?"

* * *

By the time Kushina and Obito got back to the village, they sported bumps, bruises, and scrapes. Minato, Kakashi, and Rin met them at the gates after a filling breakfast. "So…how did it go?" Minato asked with a large grin.

"Tch. I went easy on this punk-ass brat," Kushina growled, shooting a dark look at Obito.

"HA! You nearly got burnt to a crisp by my Fireball Jutsu!" Obito shot back.

"I should've used my chains to strangle you," Kushina groaned, scowling.

"Minato-sensei! You should've seen it! This lady has huge chakra chains that come out of her back and she nearly killed me!" Obito shouted, pointing at the redhead next to him.

Minato raised his eyes at Kushina and she shrugged. "It's just my jutsu."

He gave her an inquisitive look. "That's… interesting. I'd like to see it one day."

Kushina snorts. "No you don't. Now come on; I need a soak."

"Are we really going to the public baths? Jiraiya-sensei will be there…peeping," Rin said.

The redhead snarled at the mention of Jiraiya, but didn't do anything rash, much to Minato's relief. "We don't have to go to the public baths. Come on." She led the way into the village.

Around them, Minato was surprised to see people putting up decorations despite the carnage still around them. "What's the occasion?"

"We're celebrating the beginning of Uzushio in a week. People are already preparing." Kushina's voice was light. "It's the most celebrated holiday here."

They watched as the citizens put up delicate lanterns, streamers, and different lights. Already, it was adding color to the streets. There were banners with the Uzushio symbol on it and the words for longevity written beneath them, stalls being erected all around, and the ground swept and cleaned. The few trees that stood around the buildings were covered with lights.

"It's beautiful," Rin gasped delightedly.

"Wait till all the lights are on. Then it'll be ten times better." Kushina looked at Rin. "I have a yukata you can borrow if you want. I wore it when I was a child."

The girl blushed deeply. "You don't have to…"

"I want to." The older woman smiled genially at her. "A pretty girl like you should dress up every once in a while."

"What about us?" Obito spoke up.

"Oh, I'll have Hayate dig something up for you men," Kushina spoke dismissively. Rin giggled and walked up ahead to talk with Kushina. Watching the two of them, Minato thought it was almost like they were sisters. It was the same for Obito. Though she was flippant with him, he saw a bond beginning to develop between them; a harmless bond, but a bond nonetheless.

And for the first time in his life…Minato Namikaze felt jealous.


	6. Chapter 6

**This is sort of like a filler, maybe. I know you guys might be getting frustrated now cause it's chapter 6 already and Minato still doesn't realize his feelings but at least Kushina is finally catching on :'3 Don't worry, there should be a lot more action in the next chapter :3 Review!**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

_Jealous…?_

He blinked rapidly with surprise. Since when did he ever get jealous over the fact that his students were getting closer with someone? He mulled over it as they got back to the Uzumaki compound and Kushina and Rin went off somewhere to bathe and look for something to wear for the festival in a week.

"Minato-sensei, you coming to take a bath with us?" Obito called.

"No, I need to look for Jiraiya-sensei. You go on ahead," he replied and turned and left the estate again.

Minato found his teacher holed up in a tree, peering at the women's baths through binoculars and grinning as he scrawled something in his books. "Jiraiya-sensei."

"Shh!" Jiraiya shushed him. "You'll startle them. That ninja at the gates wasn't wrong: these women can punch as hard as Tsunade."

His former student snorted and settled down on a branch, leaning against the trunk. "I… got jealous today."

"You? Jealous? Ha! Over what?" Jiraiya didn't look up, but Minato knew he was listening.

"I don't know. It's the strangest thing; I was just thinking about how Obito and Rin are getting closer to Kushina more than I am and—" His eyes widened. "That's it! I'm jealous because Rin and Obito are getting closer to Kushina than I am." He groaned and tilted his head back, knocking it gently against the trunk. "But _why_?"

Jiraiya snickers. "You still don't know? Then what about what I've heard from Obito about you and Kushina together in her room? He mentioned that the two of you looked pretty embarrassed about something."

Minato flushed. "It was nothing. We were just talking."

"Right. Talking."

He groaned. "Really, Jiraiya-sensei. Nothing happened between us. I just complimented her hair. That's all."

"Did you kiss after that?" At the scathing glare Minato sent him, Jiraiya sighed mournfully. "You know you're never going to get anywhere with her if you don't make a move first."

"I have absolutely no idea what you mean."

"I mean that you should take her out. Go on a date. Maybe ask her to accompany you to the festival."

Minato had turned red again. "Isn't that improper? I'm her bodyguard."

"Ah, excuses, excuses! Go have fun, you know? Relax for a night." Jiraiya scribbled down something else in his book. "I suggest you ask her tonight before someone else does."

"But I don't even have a reason to ask her."

"Don't you want to spend more time with her?" The words struck something within him and Minato pondered over the question. The answer came quickly. "Yes. I actually do want to spend more time with her."

The perverted Sannin muttered something under his breath. "Then go ahead," he said, speaking louder. "Wear something nice. Have a good time."

"I don't think I'm supposed to have a good time. I'm still protecting her," Minato replied.

"Do you think Kushina's a beautiful woman?" Jiraiya abruptly asked.

"Do I—" He stopped and blushed deeply. "Well, yes…"

"Then ask her out! She is, in fact, a gorgeous woman, and I'm sure many men will have set their sights on her. You should mark your territory before they get a chance."

"You make it sound as if she's a piece of land being fought over for."

"Well, not really like that… that's insulting to women and strange as well. What I'm saying is, my boy, is that you shouldn't let her slip from your fingers. By the time you finally figure out what you're going through, it might be too late!"

He contemplated his mentor's words, recognizing that— despite the fact that he _still _doesn't know what he's feeling for Kushina— Jiraiya was right. There would be many men after that beautiful young heiress of the Uzumaki clan and that stirred up a strange fury somewhere deep inside him, as well as a desire to fight off any man who even laid eyes on her.

Minato turned to Jiraiya with a determined expression. "Tell me what I should do."

* * *

An hour later, Minato was sitting on the roof overlooking the training field. Kushina was dressed in her kunoichi clothing and was practicing with her ninjustsu, which she has almost no talent for, although her fūinjutsu was impressive, as expected from the heiress of the Uzumaki clan.

"Impressive!" he called after she'd practiced with one. Startled, Kushina twitched and swung around to glare at him as he dropped lightly from the roof.

"What are you, stalking me?" she snarled.

Minato raised an eyebrow. "Aren't I supposed to be guarding you?"

"I thought Rin was doing that."

"Oh. I took over for her an hour ago. You probably didn't notice." He grinned at her surprised expression. "What? An experienced kunoichi like you and you didn't even notice me?"

Growling under her breath, Kushina turned away. "I don't have time to be dealing with you." She stomped towards the manor house, tearing off her shoes and dumping them unceremoniously on the ground. Minato did the same, but placed his neatly by the steps.

"Well that's a shame. I had something important to ask you." They stopped in front of her room and though she didn't turn around, Minato could sense that she was curious.

"What is it?" she asked, speaking to her door.

He gently but firmly grasped her shoulder and spun her around. Kushina stared up at him, an unfathomable expression on her face. His mouth went dry as he stared into her stormy gray-violet eyes. "What is it?" she asked again, her voice very soft.

Licking his dry lips, he said slowly, "Come to the festival with me." He turned red. "I… well… I'm still your bodyguard and I know you might want to go with someone else but this is more convenient for me to watch over you and you might've wanted to be with Rin or—" He halted his rambling as Kushina placed a finger over his lips, effectively shushing him.

His heart skipped a beat.

Kushina smiled at him, her cheeks a healthy pink. "Sure. I'll come with you." She stepped back and gently slid the door open. "See you." She shut the door and Minato was left alone.

A smile stretched across his face and he walked away with a spring in his step.

* * *

He asked her out.

Kushina anxiously paced her room, nervously clutching her hair as she took on a full-body blush. Her heart was racing erratically.

Minato asked her out. _Minato Namikaze asked her out._ The Yellow Flash of Konoha himself.

And she said yes.

Now feeling as if she was going to faint, she sat down on her bed, still blushing furiously. Truth be told, she didn't know why she was internally freaking out, but she couldn't deny that something good was happening. That fluttering in her chest and stomach was telling her that.

Does that mean Minato liked her?

She flamed up again. She had never suspected that he would have any feelings for her… but what about herself? What about those thoughts invading her mind? That feeling of unexplainable joy whenever she sees him? How about that moment in her bedroom when they were so close to each other?

Does this mean that she likes him?

"I'm so confused!" she nearly screamed. She plopped facedown on her bed and tilted her head up, gazing out the open window. Minutes passed as she watched a pair of birds flittering around.

Without meaning to, a corner of her mouth twitched up. Maybe… liking him won't be so bad.


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm sorry by how rushed the ending is, but I hope the length and the fact that Minato finally figured things out makes up for it :D Well, this fanfiction is almost ending and I still haven't gotten 20 reviews yet... T_T do me a favor and review more, would you? I appreciate any sorts of feedback, but as usual, I prefer positive remarks. Anyway, on with the story and review! Hope I get a lot more reviews this time! Once again, sorry about how it's so rushed!**

**I'm sorry for the mistake I made earlier. I clicked the wrong document, sorry ^^ I apologize to those who were confused by my error.**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

"I look so pretty!" Rin gasped as she twirled in front of the full-length mirror in a periwinkle kimono decorated with different kinds of flowers. Her obi was a darker shade of blue and she wore her short hair untouched.

"Do you want to do something with your hair?" Kushina asked from where she sat on her bed. "I can try something with it."

"No thanks. I'm just going to wear it normally," Rin replied. She turned to Kushina. "Is it true you're going to the festival with Minato-sensei tomorrow?"

The woman blushed. "Well… yes… But just as friends, ya know!" she added hastily.

Rin's eyes twinkled. "It'll be so nice if you and Minato-sensei started going out."

Kushina groaned and buried her face in her pillow. "No… I don't think that's ever going to happen."

"Why not?" Rin sounded genuinely curious and worried as she sat next to Kushina.

"I don't think Minato likes me that way… And I'm worried."

"Worried that he won't like you back?"

"That… and I'm scared that he'll leave me." She turned her head to the side and gazed out over her room. "I loved my parents and now they left me alone in this world. Now I met Minato and I know I like him, but I'm not sure if I should continue with this. I know he'll leave eventually. He'll go back to Konoha and I'll be left here. Or one day he'll be killed. Oh, there are many ways… But I don't know if my heart is strong enough to take it."

Rin placed a hand on her shoulder. "If it's any consolation… I think Minato-sensei might like you too."

Kushina sat up. "You don't know that."

"Kakashi, Obito, and I think he does."

"You hope he does," Kushina corrected gently.

The other girl was silent. "You're right…" she said dejectedly. "We do hope he does. Back in Konoha, Minato-sensei is a candidate for Hokage and because of that there are a lot of women after him. He never dates and we all think he's pretty lonely. I mean, he lives alone and he has friends, but they're dating and, well, anyway, he doesn't like anyone in Konoha." Rin turned large hopeful eyes on Kushina. "So we were hoping he'll like you."

A pause, and then Kushina sat up and wrapped her arms around Rin. "I don't know, Rin. Who knows how things will turn out in the end."

* * *

Minato sneezed.

"Bless you," a chorus of three voices called out.

"Thank you," he replied, sniffling.

"You sick?" Jiraiya asked, leaning against the wall.

"No. Someone must be talking about me." He stood and stretched, the soft fabric of the blue yukata surrounding him.

Kakashi looked up from the mirror, still wearing his dark gray yukata. "By the way, is Rin still with Kushina?"

"Why do you wanna know?" Obito demanded, bolting upright and glaring at his rival.

The boy looked at him blandly. "Just wondering why they're taking so long."

Then there came a loud squeal from the other room. "Kushina! You look so adorable!" Rin practically screamed.

The males were silent. "Well, now you know," Minato replied. He smiled and stared out the window. "Wonder how she looks…."

"Rin?" Obito yelled as Jiraiya elbowed him. "What was that for?"

"Stupid," the Sannin snorted. "He means Kushina."

"I don't!" Minato yelled. He turned red as the three others in the room stared at him. "I-I mean… I was wondering about the both of them…"

Jiraiya burst into guffaws. "Ah, don't deny it any longer!"

"I'm not denying anything!"

"Sure you're not." Jiraiya stood and went to the door. "Alright! Time to do more research!"

"Pervert," Obito muttered.

* * *

The next afternoon, Minato once again donned his borrowed yukata and slipped his feet into sandals. He left a kunai or two hidden in his clothes and left his forehead protector with the rest of his bags. Looking over his two male students, he nodded and went outside with them.

Rin came out a few minutes later. "Wow, Rin! You look great!" Obito said, eyes wide. Kakashi merely nodded his approval.

Their teammate blushed lightly. "Thanks." To Minato, she said, "Kushina should be out soon, but I think she's nervous."

"I'm not nervous!" They all turned their heads towards the entrance, which was hidden in shadow. "I-I'll go get her…," Rin hastily said.

She trotted back towards the door and reached for something. A small scuffle broke out, but Rin pulled hard and Kushina stumbled out to the light. Minato caught his breath.

She was dressed in a pink yukata printed with lighter pink plum blossoms and a yellow-gold obi around her waist. Her hair was left down with her bangs pulled to the side with two or three bobby pins tipped with flowers. She held a kinchaku made of the same pattern in her right hand. Catching hold of Minato's amazed expression, her cheeks darkened even further. "What?" she snapped.

Shaking his head as a wide grin stretched over his face, he stepped forward. "Nothing. You look great."

Minato's three students snickered. "We'll leave you two lovebirds alone," Kakashi said, dashing away with Obito and Rin hot on his heels.

Kushina made a face after their retreating backs. "Sh-Shall we go?" she asked, stuttering slightly in her embarrassment.

He smiled and gently took her hand. "Sure."

* * *

It was dusk when they arrived at the festival. And what a sight it was, with the lights ablaze and the street bustling and busy. It looked like any other festival on Konoha, and yet it held a charm that was unparalleled anywhere else.

"It's… amazing," Minato said, awestruck.

Kushina laughed. "Just wait until the fireworks show in a few hours. That's a sight to see." She turned to Minato. "Where do you want to go?"

He looked at her as well, still smiling with that amazed expression on his handsome face. "Anywhere you want."

* * *

They wandered around for hours, eating, playing games, chatting casually with the people who would talk to Kushina. More than once, girls would flirt with Minato and he more or less successfully fended them off by running away in the opposite direction, dragging a yelling Kushina along with him.

"You could just use your Flying Thunder God Technique, ya know," the young heiress panted after the sixth or seventh such encounter.

"I didn't bring enough kunai," he replied, leaning casually against a wall as he waited for Kushina to catch her breath. His eyes roamed appreciatively over her figure, noting how the yukata she wore seemed to cling to all the right places.

She snorted. "You're such a flake." She straightened and looked up at the sky. "The fireworks are almost starting. Come on!" Kushina took his hand for the first time and Minato marveled at how naturally it seemed to fit into his.

They took to the rooftops and Kushina led him to an isolated little corner high above Uzushio that overlooked the festival. "I come here every festival to watch the fireworks," she said a bit shyly. She sat and patted the spot next to her.

Minato joined her and couldn't help but notice that it was a little cramped, but he didn't mind, because she was right next to him, her thigh pressing against his and their hands nearly overlapping. "It's a good spot," he said quietly.

"Thanks." They sat in silence for the few minutes until a sparkling yellow rocker shot into the sky and burst in a blast of light and noise. "Oh, it's beginning!"

Blue, pink, green, and purple followed the bright yellow and after that came many more, in different sizes, shapes, and forms. One even took on the symbol of Uzushio in bright orange.

Minato glanced at Kushina, taking in her awed expression. His heart pounded as a rush of emotion filled him.

The lights shone on her face and sparkled in her shining eyes. He took in the strong pillar of her neck, the curve of her jaw, the way her lips looked so plump and luscious it made him want to—

He mentally shook himself, but found he couldn't look away from her. She was breathtaking, even more so than the colored lights that displayed in the sky. She was a headstrong, hot-blooded vixen that never failed to amaze him, whether with her erratic behavior, her violent temper, or her stunning beauty. She was…astounding, awe-inspiring, magnificent, spectacular, shocking, stunning, outrageous, and Minato adored every part of her.

The realization stole his breath. He was in love. He was in _love_ with the heiress of the Uzumaki clan.

No wonder Jiraiya and his students have laughed so hard over his confusion. He had never felt this way before, and yet he knew. He just needed time to figure it out, just like Jiraiya said.

A smile twitched on his mouth. He loved Kushina. No, that wasn't right. He _loves_ Kushina. And already, it seemed to fit, in a way, as if things were meant to be like this. Perhaps it was, and Minato was going to take full advantage of it. But how to tell her? What if he did the wrong thing and she hated him? Ah, he shouldn't worry about it now, but he had to claim her for his own or he would have competition. But even if there wa, he would eliminate them all. The way he was thinking was messing him up. He really needed a talk with Jiraiya about all this.

As Minato mulled over this whole affair, the fireworks show was winding down. Kushina finally looked at him. "The fireworks are almost over. Do you want to go back or…" She trailed off at the strange pensive look he wore. "Minato? Is something wrong?"

"What? No. Nothing's wrong." He beamed at her. "I had a wonderful time tonight."

"If you say so… So do you want to go back or—?" She stopped once again as Minato put his hand over hers. Her eyes flicked up to meet his as her heart thudded out a rapid heartbeat at the look in his eyes. What was happening to her?

Minato leaned closer. A part of him was warning him that it may be too early for this stage, while another egged him on. Both were screaming as he leaned in.

Kushina's eyes closed as he gently pressed his lips to her forehead; so gently it was like he thought she was made of delicate glass. He pulled away and the spot where his lips touched her burned. "I enjoyed spending the night with you, Kushina," he whispered.

She blushed at his voice, which had taken on a husky quality. "O-Ok." Kushina rapidly stood. "Let's go." She took off and Minato easily kept up with her as they bounded over the rooftops towards the Uzumaki estate. The guards who were on duty that night bowed as they landed at the gates and Kushina led the way in with a nod to the two of them. Arriving in front of their bedroom doors, they lingered, both not knowing how to say goodbye.

"Um… goodnight, I guess," Kushina said awkwardly, blushing in the dim light.

Minato frowned slightly. He wished the night would never end, but it had to, if he needed to wake up bright and early tomorrow to resume his bodyguard duties. "Goodnight, Kushina."

She smiled and went into her room, shutting the door after her. Minato went into his and tumbled onto his futon, not bothering to change. A wide grin adorned his face as he recalled his epiphany. He wasn't sure how he was going to confess his feelings, nor how he was going to advance forward, but he's as sure as hell going to get a lot of advice from Jiraiya tomorrow. Closing his eyes, he fell asleep.

It was only a few hours later that Kumogakure invaded the village.


	8. Chapter 8

**The ending is a little lame, but I couldn't think of anything better. Should I have expanded on the battle or something? It does seem a little rushed and short... Oh well. Review guys! :D Hope you like the fact that it's slightly longer! **

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Minato bolted upright as an explosion rocked the village. Beside him, Obito dazedly sat up, rubbing sleepy eyes. "Whasup?" he mumbled.

"I don't know," Minato said tensely. He stood just as a knock came from the door. "Minato-san! Minato-san!"

"What is it?" Minato demanded, opening the door to reveal the Uzushio shinobi standing there. Across the hall, Rin had also slid open her door, as did Kushina.

"Kumo shinobi are attacking us! Hayate-sama has requested that you take Kushina-sama somewhere safe until we manage to—" A shuriken shot out from the darkness of the corridor and buried itself in the shinobi's neck. Rin screamed.

With a curse, Minato seized one of the kunai hidden in his yukata and threw it in the direction that the shuriken came from. A wet thud signaled that it has met its intended target. "Kushina, Rin, Obito, Kakashi, we should change. Pack as many weapons as you can. We'll meet back out here in five minutes, alright?" They nodded in return. Even Kushina seemed willing to take his orders. "Hurry!"

They disappeared into their rooms and Minato quickly shucked off his yukata, changing into his shinobi uniform and securing the pouch by his side. Across the room, Kakashi was doing the same while Obito was pulling on his shoes. "Hurry, Obito!" Minato hissed as the Uchiha boy finally managed to buckle his pouch around his waist.

The three Konoha shinobi slipped out to the hall just as Rin appeared. Kushina came a second later, tying her long thick hair back in a braid. Minato noticed that she didn't carry any weapons save for a single kunai tucked into her belt. "Do you have everything you need?" he asked. They nodded and he turned. "Let's go."

He led the way down the corridor and out a window onto the roof. Kushina came first, followed by the rest of Minato's team. A black-robed shinobi bearing an Uzushio forehead protector met them.

"Kushina-sama, thank goodness you're alright. Kumogakure sent assassins into the manor to kill Minato-san and his students," the shinobi said. "Hayate-sama has left instructions for me to take you somewhere safe."

"Where are we going?" Minato asked.

"Outside of Uzushio."

"No. That's too dangerous." The Yellow Flash shook his head. "Kumogakure are sure to have shinobi surrounding Uzushio by now."

"It's the best chance we've got. They've attacked the Kage's office already, thinking Kushina-sama is there. If we manage to—" A kunai attached to a paper tag thudded onto the roof. Minato's eyes widened. "Everybody move!"

They all leapt into the air as the tag combusted. Multiple kunai and shuriken were immediately thrown at them. "There! The Uzumaki is over there!"

Kushina snarled out a curse. "My hair's too recognizable." She arched her body to avoid a whirling, oversized shuriken. "We should get rid of it, ya know."

"No." Minato couldn't bear to have her beautiful hair cut short. "It might be useful."

"How?" she snapped, landing back on the roof. Kakashi landed next to her a second later and blocked a flying kunai that was aimed for Kushina with one of his own.

"I'm not sure yet," he admitted. He turned to the Uzushio shinobi. "Is there anywhere we can go for now?"

"I'll take you to the Kage. I believe Jiraiya-sama is with him." The shinobi leapt off and they followed him.

As they traveled, Kushina couldn't help but see the carnage below. Already, dead bodies littered the ground from those who stayed long after the festival had ended. Gritting her teeth, she blinked back the tears that threatened to spill and shot forward until she was nearly keeping pace with Minato. He shot her a questioning glance, but she ignored him.

Halfway through the village, the enemy spotted them. Kushina ducked as a fire jutsu was aimed at her, nearly singeing off her braid. "What the hell!" she roared, her kunai flying out and thudding into the shinobi's chest.

Obito and Kakashi oriented themselves around her with Rin watching their backs. Minato and the Uzushio shinobi were taking care of the masses below. Kushina snatched up several kunai from the roof they were standing on and threw them down into the enemy, her aim straight and true. A shuriken managed to slice her shoulder and the fabric slit open as blood beaded on the cut. "Don't mind me. It's shallow," she grunted as Rin reached up to heal her. "Watch for shinobi behind me."

A flurry of kunai flew up and she batted them away with a kunai of her own. "Oh this is stupid, ya know!" Jumping up, she loosed her chains.

Five thick chakra chains erupted from her back and stabbed down, crushing the enemy. Minato gaped with surprise at her ability, remembering what Obito had shouted about chains a week ago. A chain with a heavy diamond-shaped spike slammed into several Kumo shinobi at once, threading through their bodies before ripping itself out of their corpses, the links now red and bloody.

Minato jumped back onto the roof just as Kushina came down as well, her stance in a near crouch as she absorbed the impact. "Impressive," he told her.

"Thanks." One of the chains snapped and she glared at the person responsible, running him through with another chain. "It is pretty useful, ya know."

"We have to go. More of them are coming," Kakashi said, eyeing the south.

The Uzushio shinobi leapt onto the roof. "Agreed. There are too many." As they ran, several shinobi followed them. "We need to take care of those on our tail," Minato said, glancing behind him. He bit his finger and slammed it onto the ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Smoke billowed and an enormous toad appeared on the street, flattening several shinobi.

"What the heck?!" Kushina screamed, retracting her chains.

"Gamabunta. I need you to take care of the Kumogakure shinobi following us," Minato said hurriedly. He glanced the other way as fires and explosions erupted just a little ways ahead of them. Screams and howls of pain and fury ensued.

"Fine." The toad turned and resumed squashing the enemy shinobi. "Couldn't have called me out here for a better reason…," he grumbled.

Minato sighed, but left, dragging Kushina along with him. "How's your arm?" he asked.

"It's ok. I didn't know you could do a Summoning Technique."

"It's pretty useful too." He grinned at her.

"Can you two not flirt at the moment?" Obito groaned from behind the two.

Kushina bopped him over the head. "We're not flirting, ya know!" At that moment, an explosive tag was thrown at them, the attached kunai thudding into the underside of the slanted roof. The tag combusted and the roof crumbled. Kushina fell heavily to the ground, crying out at the pain.

Taking advantage of the situation, the horde of Kumogakure shinobi rushed forward, but were blocked by Minato, who leapt in front of her. "Kushina! Are you alright?" He growled as he parried a water jutsu attack. "We have to keep moving!"

He turned when she didn't reply. "Kushina! Hurry up!"

* * *

The screams hurt her ears. The fire burned in her eyes. The air was thick with fear. She watched, crouched in the ruins of the building as the villagers were slaughtered in front of her. Her heart pounded.

Someone was screaming her name. A man, perhaps, but it slowly morphed into the desperate cries of her mother.

_"Kushina! Run away!"_

_"Kushina!" _That was her father now. _"Don't fight them! Just run!"_

_"Kushina!"_

_"Kushina!"_

"No…"

A man hurtled to the ground, a dozen kunai buried in his back. Nearby, a crowd was crushed by the heavy stones falling from the collapsing buildings. And all around were dozens of fighting ninjas, killing, burning…

Dying.

Dying, just like her mother and father.

The world darkened.

* * *

Minato paused, feeling an ominous aura behind him. Slowly, he turned around. His eyes widened. "Kushina?!"

A glowing, bubbling mass of orange chakra was surrounding her. Two points on top of her head seemed to resemble long ears and a long tail had formed behind her. Her hair had escaped its bindings and writhed over her back. She crouched in an animalistic position, snarling at him with elongated canine teeth. Red eyes with black slit pupils glared at the shinobi surrounding her.

Nearby, an Uzushio kunoichi took one glance at Kushina and fled, screaming. The Kumogakure shinobi looked uneasy, nervously backing away. Only Minato stayed. "Kushina? What's happening?" he asked, tone slightly fearful.

She roared and two more tail-like shapes formed out of the bubbling chakra. She stamped her right arm on the ground and it crumbled as a shockwave threw Minato back into a stone wall. Grunting, he staggered upright and watched with horrified and awe-struck eyes as a fourth tail appeared.

Kushina growled, her eyes trained on the battle just beyond them. More and more people were dying. An explosive tag burst into flame by her and she howled.

The fifth tail appeared.

Red-black chakra began to cover her. there were no distinguishing features save for the tell-tale flow of her hair, which looked, for all the world, like swaying tails themselves. Her eyes began to glow.

"The Raikage wants _that_?" someone muttered.

"L-Let's get out of here!"

The shinobi turned tail and ran, but Kushina— or whatever that thing was— shrieked and shot forward— faster than even Minato himself. He watched with wide eyes it landed on their backs and shredded them to pieces.

"Kushina!" Minato shouted, but a hand stopped him before he went too far.

"Minato." It was Jiraiya. "This way."

They walked along a dim alleyway. "What about Kakashi and the others?" Minato asked.

"Uzushio shinobi are taking them somewhere else."

"What's going on?" Minato stopped, forcing Jiraiya to stop and turn around. "Where are you taking me?"

Jiraiya sighed. "The Kage wants to see you. I'm taking you to him."

"Then what about Kushina?" He was impatient. "What happened to her?"

"Minato…" Jiraiya sounded pained. "I can't tell you. Only the Kage can and he's fighting to stop her from destroying everything. After you help, he promises to tell you everything."

"You sound as if you already know." Minato and Jiraiya resumed walking.

"I do." His voice was unapologetic.

"They don't expect me to kill her, right?"

"No."

Minato groaned. "What is going on? At least tell me what she is."

Jiraiya sighed through his nose. "Man, I forgot how persistent you can be sometimes." He sighed again. "Alright, fine. I'll tell you."

The Sannin turned around and looked Minato in the eye. "Kushina Uzumaki is a Jinchuuriki."


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry it's a little rushed and sloppy and short, but I did the best I could. Almost done now, guys! Just a few more chapters left! Yay~ :D Review!**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Minato stared at Jiraiya. "What?"

"You heard me."

"A Jinchuuriki? Are you serious? She has a Tailed Beast in her body?" It felt as if all the air had left his body. He swayed and leaned against a wall, his head spinning.

Jiraiya reached out to him. "You ok?"

"If Tsunade-hime suddenly told you she was a Jinchuuriki would you be surprised?" Minato asked him sarcastically, knowing of his former teacher's affections for the woman.

"Not really. She's tough enough to be a demon herself."

Minato snorted. "But still. A Jinchuuriki. No wonder so many in the village hated her." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know what to think. Or feel."

"Well, I know what we have to do first. We have to go to the Kage. We're wasting time." Jiraiya turned and walked off, leaving Minato no choice but to follow.

A howl of outrage sounded somewhere ahead of them, but Jiraiya didn't speed up. "What's happening?" Minato asked.

"They're trying to restrain Kushina. She's probably already destroyed half of Uzushio by now." Another roar sounded and this time, Jiraiya quickened his footsteps. "We don't have much time left. Let's go."

They leapt into the air and headed towards the glowing lights in the distance. Most of it appeared to be fires, but one darker red-orange light….

"Is that Kushina?" Minato asked, his throat choking up.

"Yeah. She's in Jinchuuriki mode right now. They're trying to reseal the Kyuubi's chakra, but none of them can get close enough." A blue light surrounded Kushina and she roared and it disappeared. "Restraining her doesn't work either."

A kunoichi sporting an Uzushio forehead protector joined them in the air. "It's good that you're here. Kage-sama is waiting impatiently for you." She went on ahead. "I'll take you to him."

Jiraiya nodded, and Minato couldn't keep his eyes off Kushina, off the bloody red chakra surrounding her. "She sounds like she's in pain," Minato said, a frown coming to his face.

"Most likely she is. A Bijuu's chakra isn't to be messed with."

"I can tell." Minato kept his eyes on Kushina for another second before his gaze cut back to his former teacher. "Is there any way to help her?"

Jiraiya sighed. "The Kage might, since he did Mito Uzumaki's seal, but besides that, it's the First Hokage. And Kushina's seal might be different."

"So what's the safest bet?"

"Also the craziest: make Kushina retract the Kyuubi's chakra by herself. If we knew what triggered her to do this, maybe it'll help us put it back."

"We're here," the kunoichi announced, settling down among a heap of crumbled buildings. The Kage was standing upon one huge chunk of stone.

"Minato Namikaze!" the old man roared. "Didn't I tell you to not let her get angry?"

"I don't think she was angry. When I saw her, it was more like she was terrified." Minato went to stand next to the Kage, who continued to create hand seals.

"I don't care," the Kage huffed. "Now you've put us all in danger."

"I'm sorry." But Minato didn't bother to overly care about that at the moment. "How are we going to help Kushina?"

The Kage shot a look at him. "I can reseal her, but to do that, I need to get close." He turned his eyes to Minato. "But I think you can do it."

"Me?" He was astonished.

The Kage nodded. "Yes, you. You're faster than anyone else in this village and I can't focus on the seal and defending myself from her at the same time. So this is the plan: we will hold her off and while she's preoccupied with us, you go in and seal her. Use your Flying Thunder God Technique."

"This just might work," Jiraiya said, and the Kage nodded. "And Minato's already given her one of his kunai."

"But I don't know if she brought it with her," Minato said, feeling a flash of doubt. What if he failed?

"Minato." Jiraiya looked up at him with serious eyes. "Knowing this secret of hers, do you still love her?"

The Kage glanced at them. "This is no time for a conversation like that." Both Minato and Jiraiya ignored him.

"Yes. I still love her." And he knew he spoke the truth. He didn't care if she was the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki. What she held inside of her didn't make who she is.

"Then do it. Trust yourself." Jiraiya stepped back. "On your mark Kage."

The Kage nodded and commanded his shinobi to attack. Kushina howled and batted them away with her tails and claws, but wave after wave of them pounded upon her. All the while, the Kage quickly explained to Minato how the seal closed while keeping an eye on Kushina, waiting for an opportunity. It came as several shinobi would a thick chain around her neck and reared her back, exposing her stomach.

"GO!"

Minato flashed to her side, fingertips infused with chakra, before slamming it into her stomach, wincing as the chakra burned his skin. Kushina screamed, and the chakra began to recede. She growled and writhed, but eventually, her head and flowing hair appeared from the mass of chakra. He caught his breath, seeing how her skin had peeled from her body and blood flowed down her in rivulets.

Kushina wailed one last time, and the last of the burning chakra disappeared. Minato, despite the injuries in his hand, caught her and held her close, wincing with sympathy at her injuries.

The Kage strode up to him. "Good job," he said, a tad impressed.

"Will she be alright?" Minato asked anxiously about the girl in his arms.

"She'll be fine." He turned to survey the surrounding area and beckoned. Five shinobi from Uzushio appeared. "Look for all dead and wounded. Bring them to the other side of the river. There is less damage there." The shinobi nodded and disappeared in five dark flashes. The Kage turned to Minato. "Bring Kushina back home. The Uzumaki family will take care of her. Then come back and bring your students with you. I will need your help."

Minato nodded and took off, Kushina's hair waving like a long red banner behind him. He glanced down at her anxiously, seeing that her skin was still raw and oozing blood. "Wake up, Kushina," he whispered. "Show me you'll be ok."

Hayate, Rin, Obito, and Kakashi met him and Kushina at the front entrance. "Hurry, I have a sickroom prepared for her," Hayate said, rushing ahead.

"Has this happened before?"

"Only once. It was not pretty. Good thing it wasn't in the village, though, or we would have died." Hayate led him down another corridor and stopped by a door. A wide empty room greeted them. "Put her down here." He indicated a futon on the ground and Minato set her down. "We will take care of her. You may go."

Minato hesitated, not wanting to leave, then nodded shortly and left, saying, "Tell me when she wakes up."

"Of course." They watched as several servants went in and Hayate shut the door after them. "She'll be safe. Go."

Nodding again, Minato left with a heavy heart.


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry I've been MIA for so long. I've had a really bad week or two and I just didn't feel like writing or do anything but play Flow Free on my phone or read sappy romance books or indulge in junk food. I've extended the chapter, and yay! I'm like three or four chapters away from being done! I actually have two epilogues planned for this fanfiction, so I'll be posting both.**

**Review~ :D**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

The amount of damage Kushina did in under ten minutes was astounding. Most of the eastern side of the river was crushed; the buildings damaged beyond repair. Bodies of both friend and foe littered the ground, either from the battle or from Kushina.

Minato walked through the carnage, his students trailing behind him. Rin had tears in her eyes and Kakashi looked grim. Obito was frowning as he surveyed the scene before him. A kunoichi with braided hair met them. "Minato-san, the Kage is awaiting you."

He nodded. "I know." The kunoichi bowed slightly and disappeared. Minato sighed. "We might as well get moving."

They walked back towards the mass of crumbled buildings. Already, villagers and shinobi alike are cleaning up the mess. Some were digging through rubble, looking for any salvageable items, while the others were searching for bodies.

Nearby, a group of villagers were rushing towards the cries of a child under the ruins of a wooden house. A baby's scream was heard with it. "There," Minato said, flying past the villagers and landing before the ruins. Kakashi was at his side in an instant and began moving beams twice his size. Obito and Minato helped while Rin dug in another corner. The villagers arrived and tore through the wreckage until they found a young girl still dressed in a yellow kimono and clutching a bawling baby swathed in a white blanket.

"Akira!" a man said, running forward. "Shou!"

"Uncle!" Akira stumbled out of the niche she was hiding in and ran into the man's arms, still carrying the baby.

Minato and Kakashi dropped the pillar they were holding up and watched as the villagers milled around Akira and her uncle. Off to a side, a small group of men were speaking in agitated voices.

"If it weren't for that Uzumaki bitch none of this would've happened," a young man said darkly.

"She's been causing us nothing but trouble," another agreed. "She's as bad as that Kyuubi inside of her."

"Did you see the way she lost control?" the third spoke up. "She succumbed to the Kyuubi. We can't allow something like that to happen again."

"What do you mean?"

The third man began to speak, a feverish light in his eyes. "I say we kill her. Make the Kage pass judgment on her. Drag her out of that fancy mansion of hers and force her to pay for what she did."

The first man who spoke said a little uncertainly, "Yahiro, are you sure? That seems a little… well, we don't really want to get on the Uzumaki family's bad side…"

Yahiro shook his head. "I've heard some of the servants talking when they go to the market. They hate her as much as we do. I'm sure even some of the nobles are just pretending to be on her side."

"What about Hayate?" the second man asked. "He's definitely her supporter."

"When it comes down to it, Hayate would gladly give her up so that he can keep his current standing as the Head of the Uzumaki Clan." Yahiro sounded confident. "We can persuade him to give her up."

The two men hesitated. Minato clenched his fists after overhearing the conversation. Rage boiled within him and he longed to snap at Yahiro, but someone put a hand on his shoulder. He whipped around to see Jiraiya standing behind him, a solemn look on his face. He shook his head once.

After a few tense minutes, Minato deflated. Violence won't solve anything and no matter how badly he wanted to teach Yahiro a lesson, it still wouldn't resolve the villagers' hatred and fear of Kushina.

"What is it?" he asked curtly.

"The Kage wants to know why it's taking so long. I already sent your students somewhere else." Jiraiya jerked his head at the other side of the field and Minato followed, stepping carefully over the loose stones.

"Minato," the Kage says as way of greeting. His face was already worn and tired from that last fifteen minutes Minato has seen him. "Is she alright?"

Minato nodded. "Asleep at the moment." The corners of his mouth turned down. "I just overheard a man named Yahiro—"

"I know what you're about to say. There are already about thirteen people talking about retribution. Unfortunately, I can't allow that."

"Neither can I." The two men looked at each other. "This isn't about your mission, is it?" the Kage asked softly. Minato shook his head and the older man sighed. "I figured you would be attracted to her. I saw your face when you looked at her for the first time."

Minato turned pink. "Was I that obvious?"

"According to Jiraiya, you were." The Kage cleared his throat. "We are busy right now, but I think it's best that I tell you about Kushina's past."

Minato perked up. "Now?" The Kage jerked his head and he looked behind him to see Yahiro and the two men approaching them with determined faces. "Now," he repeated.

They took to the skies and landed on a rooftop that overlooked the area of damage. There was scattered debris surrounding them, but it was relatively clear. The Kage went to stand by the edge, still watching over the village. He wasted no time in beginning his narrative. "I assume you know Mito Uzumaki? She was sent to Konoha to marry the First Hokage."

"I have never known her personally. She died when I was in the Academy." Minato went to stand next to him.

"Mito Uzumaki, is Kushina's grandmother." Catching Minato's astonished look, the Kage let out a wry smile. "The Uzumaki's have unusually long lives and strong life forces. No doubt Kushina also inherited those qualities of her clan." He shook his head. "Mito is also the first Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. It wasn't well known in Konoha, so I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't know about this at all."

"I didn't know," Minato murmured in reply.

"About twelve or thirteen years ago, Mito felt that it was almost her time to go. Of course, she couldn't very well let the Kyuubi go free, so the Uzumaki Clan and I convened and decided that Kushina would be the next Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi." The Kage paused slightly. "She was taken to Konoha after a few months of endless preparation and the Kyuubi was sealed into her body. Shortly after that, Mito passed away and around that time, the fact that Kushina was the new Jinchuuriki had gotten loose within Uzushiogakure. The villagers began to distrust her, some of them even went so far as to insult her and the children around her age either bullied her or refused to be around her. Thus, Kushina was isolated for most of her childhood."

Minato frowned sadly. It had been different for him, as everyone had high hopes for him to become the next Hokage and constantly praised his genius. His peers had always eagerly hung out with him and he couldn't even begin to comprehend how lonely Kushina was.

The Kage continued, cutting into his thoughts. "Good thing she never caved to them. She even fought back." He chuckled. "She was a total spitfire, and eventually her nickname 'The Red Hot-Blooded Habanero' was created. The boys never bullied her again."

Minato chucked as well. It was easy for him to imagine her with her fiery temper, as it was so similar to her behavior today. "She didn't change at all, did she?"

"Nope. At least she wasn't spoiled and bratty. Although she was impertinent at times, especially when she was a young kunoichi. As she grew older, she learned to curb her tongue more, but not as often as I would like, as you can probably tell." The Kage exhaled heavily. "I go as far as to think of her like my own granddaughter. And Hayate has always indulged her even more than I or her parents ever did."

"You loved her a lot," Minato noted.

"Still do. I _was_ surprised when she took an immediate liking to you."

"You mean getting in my face and demanding I go home? That was immediate liking?"

"She's mostly all bluster. She was obviously very taken with you. As someone who practically raised her, you should trust in my judgment." The Kage shot Minato another wry smile. "And as your fame grew, Kushina was always interested to hear about anything in regards to you."

Minato turned red, pleased to know that Kushina had already held him in high regard. The Kage nodded. "And you are a good match for her."

"W-Wait, what are you implying?" He was almost too scared to find out.

The Kage grinned widely. "That you have my consent to marry Kushina."

* * *

She opened her eyes to a dark room. Faint predawn light streamed from the window and shone palely on the ceiling. She was alone.

Painfully, she sat up, noticing that she was still in her kunoichi clothes and that they were stained with patches of blood that were the color of rust. Skin was already growing back, but bandages still covered the parts where she was still raw. A white sleeping robe was draped over her.

A gentle knock sounded and a servant slid open the door, bearing a tray of food. "Kushina-sama," she greeted, setting the tray on the ground next to her, revealing not only a bowl of soup but also fresh bandages and medicine.

"What happened to me?" Kushina asked, or rather, croaked.

The servant hesitated, then tried to reach over to unravel her bandages, but Kushina jerked away awkwardly due to the pain. "No. Tell me what happened." A flash of fear shot through her, but she ruthlessly pushed it down. It could be nothing. "I remember Kumo shinobi attacking us…" She gasped. "Minato! What happened to Minato?!"

"Namikaze-san is alright," the servant whispered quietly. She cast a look around the empty room, then turned back to Kushina. "The Kumo shinobi did attack, but in the midst of it, you… went on a rampage. The Kyuubi—" Unable to continue, the servant dropped her eyes, but Kushina knew what she meant.

"Oh…" She slumped, eyes glazed with despair. The Kyuubi. She had unleashed the Kyuubi's power upon her home and the last time she did that, it had been destructive. Good thing it wasn't in her village back then… but the amount of damage she'd done…

"Are there any—" She couldn't say it.

The servant nodded sadly. "I don't know how many, but I did hear that a great many people died."

"How long was I in that state?"

"Again, I'm not sure. I think it was probably ten minutes or so, according to some of the rumors."

Ten minutes. At least it wasn't an hour, like last time. "Who resealed the chakra?" Kushina asked, thinking the Kage did it.

"Namikaze-san." At Kushina's noise of surprise, the servant nodded. "He managed to reseal the Kyuubi's chakra under the Lord Kage's direction."

"But is he hurt in any way?" Kushina asked desperately. "I didn't… break his spine or anything, did I?"

"He is fine." This time, when the servant reached over to change her bandages, Kushina didn't protest. After she finished the food, her injuries had healed somewhat, although very slowly, and she still felt sore and tired. "Please sleep a little more," the servant said.

Kushina nodded and laid back down, drawing the robe over her as the servant left. Once the door closed, she reached into her shirt and touched the kunai Minato had given her.

_Minato…_

She closed her eyes. It was all her fault. If she hadn't panicked, nobody would've died. The village would've been safe— well, safer without her.

Safer without her.

That's it.

She needed to leave. She couldn't put them in danger anymore. They can hate her, but at least they will be safe. And Minato… no matter how she felt about him, it was better if he let her go. If _she_ let him go.

A single tear trickled down the corner of her eye at the thought of never seeing him again, but she swiped it away, touching the three-pronged kunai once again. She sat up and carefully stood, her wounds screaming with pain. She clenched her teeth and bent down to put the kunai on top of the robe she'd been resting under.

Then she turned and left the Uzumaki estate forever.


	11. Chapter 11

**I admit, this was not one of my better chapters. I feel that the confession scene between Minato and Kushina was too bland and boring and cliché, I'm scared that I was laying on the description of Kushina's injuries too thick, Hayate's death was corny, the beginning of the chapter wasn't as good as I thought it would be, and the ending wasn't strong at all. Yeah, that's like basically everything in the chapter, but it's like the only thing I've come up with that made sense a little bit, but I don't think it was as strong as I would've liked. What do you think? Review your thoughts!**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

Minato's face immediately turned the color of Kushina's hair. "M-Marriage?!" he yelped. "Isn't it a little too early to be thinking about things like that?!"

The Kage shrugged, still grinning as he watched Minato squirm. "Why not? You're a handsome young man and she's a perfectly eligible woman. You're set to be the next Hokage and she's an heiress of a prestigious clan. Why wouldn't you marry her?" His face darkened. "Or is it that you intend to have your way with her then get rid of her?"

"No, no! It's just… a little too soon for me to even contemplate marriage. I didn't even tell her how I feel about her yet." Minato winced as the sun's first rays struck upon him, shining into his eyes.

"Then march over there right now and confess!" The Kage was too caught up in his own excitement to notice Minato's embarrassment. "Kiss her or something!"

That was the final straw. As he began to back away, sweating profusely, a shinobi landed in front of them, panting. "Kushina Uzumaki is missing."

Minato and the Kage snapped into attention. "What do you mean, missing?" Minato demanded. "Is she kidnapped?"

"As far as I can tell, no," the shinobi replied. "The servant, Shizuka, was tending to her, but when she went back again, Kushina-sama was gone."

"How long ago was this?" Minato asked anxiously.

"Not too long ago. Half an hour, at least. Someone from the Uzumaki estate sent a message after they discovered that she was missing. No one saw her leave."

"From those injuries, she couldn't have gotten far. Still, she is a Jinchuuriki and one of the Uzumaki's— she could very well heal twice as fast as a normal man." The Kage turned to Minato and laid a heavy hand on his shoulder. "I can't spare anymore people. I still need to send out patrols to make sure the Kumo shinobi are gone for good. I'll have to leave it up to you."

Minato nodded and the shinobi suddenly held out a familiar kunai. "We found this on top of her robe."

"Be careful," the Kage cautioned. "If she was kidnapped, you might run into her attackers."

"I know. I'll bring her back," Minato promised, tucking the kunai into his pouch and disappearing in a heartbeat with the use of his Flying Thunder God Technique.

* * *

"Shit," Kushina snarled as she fell for the third time. Her clothes were now caked with river mud and grass stains as well as dried blood. There were several rips on her tights and leaves were stuck in her hair.

She hurt all over from the injuries she inflicted upon herself while she used the Kyuubi's chakra. Her wounds were still healing… but it was too slow. At best, she needed two days of rest before she will be right as rain again.

Kushina glanced back. Uzushio had already fallen out of sight, but she was still too close to the village. She'd barely gone seven miles from the gates and still needed another twelve before she reached the port that went to Hi No Kuni, which was further down the island.

Gritting her teeth, she looked ahead again and continued following the river, supporting herself with tree trunks nearly every painful step along the way.

* * *

Minato flew through the treetops, desperately scanning the ground for bright, distinctive red hair. At one point, he stopped and crouched in the boughs of a tall tree, looking out over the forest. There were steep hills scattered throughout the island, with the river cutting through the center.

Where could she be? he thought desperately. She couldn't have gone far with those wounds. And her captors— if there were captors— they wouldn't stray too far into unfamiliar lands. He pondered for a while then his face brightened. The river!

He leapt into the air, shooting down into the trees and catching himself on a thick branch by the river, infusing chakra into the soles of his feet to ensure a safe landing. Scanning the riverbed, he tried to look for one or several figures. Seeing nothing but the rushing water and the shimmering flash of fish, he continued on.

Come on. Where are you? A flash of red caught his attention and he paused, crouching on a branch. He pushed the leaves away for a better look.

Kushina was just ahead of him, limping painfully down the river as she clutched the trees for support. He felt his heart twinge with pain.

"Kushina!" he cried out, leaping to her side and landing in front of her.

She stumbled back, eyes wide. "Minato?!"

He pulled her to him, careful of her injuries, and buried his face in her hair. "Why did you leave? I was so worried. The Kage and I thought you were kidnapped!"

Kushina struggled out of his grasp, catching her breath as she scraped one of the patches of half-formed skin. Minato watched her with a confused expression as she avoided looking at him, one hand resting on a branch to keep herself up. "Kushina?" he asked softly.

"Just let me go, Minato." Her voice was rough with pain.

"Why?" He reached for her again, but she drew back once more.

"I can't go back to the village."

His face darkened. "Did someone threaten you?"

"No." She shook her head.

"Then why not?"

She sighed. "It's all my fault. If I didn't lose control—"

"Whoa." Minato put his hand on his arm and used his other hand to turn her face to his. "None of it was your fault. You panicked; it could've happened to anyone."

"But the Kyuubi?" Her gray-violet eyes were sad; he hated to see her so upset.

"The Kyuubi takes advantage of situations like these," Minato said. "It wasn't your fault."

But Kushina shook her head. "That's stupid and you know it. I should've tried to control myself better. I could've, but I didn't. And now so many people are dead and Uzushio is destroyed and it's all my fault." She twisted out of his grasp once again and stumbled past him. "Just let me go, Minato. Everyone wants me gone already."

Minato turned and caught her around the waist, but she recoiled; he'd touched a sensitive part of her healing skin. Her foot slipped and tangled with his, and then they found themselves rolling down the slope and landing right by the river among a patch of tall grass and dandelions. The disturbed seeds broke free and floated away in the wind.

Kushina stared up into Minato's brilliant blue eyes, ignoring as her body screamed with protest from her injuries. She blushed at the intimate position they were in as Minato still didn't move to get up from where he was sprawled atop of her.

"I love you." Their eyes widened simultaneously. Minato hadn't meant to say it, but the words slipped out and they kept coming. "I love you. And that's why I can't let you go. You say everyone wants you gone, but what about the Kage? What about Hayate? What about me?" He sucked in a breath. "I want to be the one who protects you from anyone who wants to hurt you or take you from me and I can't do that if you disappear from me forever. I won't be able to take it."

She shifted her eyes away. "There're always other girls," she muttered. "Besides, what do you even see in me? I'm boyish and not that pretty. My ninjutsu and genjutsu suck and my taijutsu is mediocre. And my hair—"

"I don't care," Minato interrupted. He brushed his hand through her hair. "I love everything about you; your temper, your smile, your eyes…" He smiled and picked up several strands of her flaming hair, bringing it to his lips. "Especially your hair."

"Really?" the word came out as an astonished whisper.

"Really." Minato smiled down at her, eyes soft and warm.

She reached up, hesitatingly, and touched the side of his face. Her eyes never left his as she gently pulled him towards her. He braced himself for whatever that was to come.

Their breath caught as their lips touched.

The only thought that registered in Minato's mind at that moment was that her lips were softer than they looked. His eyes shut and he tentatively leaned deeper into the kiss. Kushina gasped and her hand went to tangle in his yellow spikes, pulling him closer.

They rolled onto their sides and clung to each other, lips sealed together before they let go and smiled, warm blushes dusting their cheeks. "Don't leave… ok?" Minato asked softly, with just a hint of desperation.

She smiled and leaned her forehead to his. "Ok."

* * *

It was late by the time they finally decided to return to Uzushio, albeit reluctantly. The two of them had been sitting by the river, talking for hours while Kushina healed and regained her strength.

"Are you alright?" Minato asked, noticing her wince as she stretched.

"Yep, never better, ya know!" She grinned widely and he couldn't help but smile back.

They leapt into the air, and for a brief moment, their figures were bathed in silver as their silhouettes shot across the bright moon, and then they were hurtling down towards the trees. Minato landed lightly on a thick branch and took off, Kushina hot on his heels, bright hair streaming after her.

Throughout their short journey, the two kept exchanging looks, remembering the sweet moments they spent together by the riverbed; kissing, holding each other, whispering sweet nothings in the midst of their conversation.

Finally, Minato stopped abruptly and caught Kushina as she went past him by accident, not expecting him to stop. She was about to ask what was the matter, when he presses his lips to hers again and she smiles and kisses him back. They break apart and touch their foreheads together.

"We should hurry," he whispered after a few seconds. Kushina nods in reply and they take off again.

A few meters later, they began to notice an orange glow up ahead. "What's that?" Kushina asks.

"It seems to be coming from the village…" His eyes widened and he grabbed her again and hid themselves behind a tree, pressing his hand against her mouth when she nearly cried out. "Don't make a sound." He peeked around the tree.

Two shinobi and one kunoichi were standing on a thick branch, facing towards Uzushio. From the style of their clothes, Minato guessed they weren't from Uzushio.

"What is it?" Kushina whispered once he turned back around.

"Shinobi. And they're not from Uzushio."

"Then where?"

He shook his head. "I can't tell." He risked another peek. "Might be Kumo."

Kushina's eyes widened. "Are they planning to attack again?"

"I don't know." He rifled through his pouch and gave her the kunai she'd left behind. "We're going to have to interrogate them."

A smile twitched on her mouth. "You take the right, I'll take the left."

He nodded. "Leave the middle alive."

They positioned themselves, then at Minato's signal, they flew at the shinobi. The two of them never had a chance. Kushina had immediately stabbed one on the neck as soon as she landed. Her momentum carried her further than she though, but she leapt up and landed securely on a tree trunk, chakra sticking to her feet. The body of the dead shinobi fell to the ground.

Minato had already finished and watched as Kushina strolled up the tree and stopped by his side. "You alright?"

She nodded and turned to the kunoichi, who glared back with furious green eyes. The headband showed the symbol of Kumo. "Kumo again?" Kushina cried, throwing up her arms in exasperation.

The kunoichi glared. "You Jinchuuriki bitch. Don't think that it's just Kumo invading your village right now." She flashed them a deadly grin. "There's also Suna, Kusa, and Iwa, you know."

Kushina paled. "But why? What do they have against Uzushio?"

The kunoichi snickered. "Your fūinjutsu, that's what. We need to destroy Uzushio because of your damn fūinjutsu." She glared again. "And because, you—"

Minato put his hands around her head and snapped her neck quickly. He turned to Kushina and pulled her close, wrapping her arms around her shaking body. "It's alright," he whispered, even though it wasn't. "It's going to be ok."

She tore away. "No! We have to go back!" She streaked away, and Minato followed, leaving the corpse of the dead kunoichi to tumble to the ground.

* * *

Kakashi, Rin, and Obito met them at the gates. "Minato-sensei!" Rin shouted, sounding terrified. She looked back and they saw that Uzushio was burning, people running and screaming and being slaughtered just like in the battle only a few hours ago.

Kushina clamped her hands over her ears and willed herself to stay strong. Her eyes watered, but she told herself firmly that it was from the smoke. But the smoke didn't cause this aching sorrow and despair nestled in her chest.

"Where's Jiraiya?" Minato snapped, rushing forward.

"With the Kage. They're still fighting. Minato-sensei, there were Iwa—"

"I know. We encountered several Kumo shinobi on our way back." He glanced at his team. "Did Jiraiya tell you to wait here?"

Kakashi nodded. Obito yelled, "We should be fighting! People are getting killed."

Kushina let out a low sob, eyes fixed on the mass of shinobi slaughtering the people she knew all her life. Minato put an arm around her, but she didn't look away. She burned these images into her mind, swearing to herself that she will never forget this day.

"Kushina." They turned to see Hayate stumbling up to them, a relieved expression on his face. "You're alive." He dropped his kunai and shuffled to them. A trickle of blood ran out of the corner of his mouth.

"Uncle Hayate!" she dashed towards him and lowered him to the ground. "Don't speak," she begged when he opened his mouth again. "Save your strength. We can still—"

But Hayate held up his hand. "Kushina, run away." There were pinpricks of tears in his eyes. "Uzushio is lost. The Kage sacrificed himself so that I may escape and speak to you one last time."

Kushina gasped, tears running down her face. She clenched her teeth. "No…"

He shook his head. "Jiraiya will be coming soon. The Kage told him… to take you to Konoha. You… will be safe there." Hayate's eyes began to burn. "Promise that you won't… succumb to the Kyuubi… again. Not for Uzushio. Not ever." He clutched Kushina's hand. "Promise me."

She sobbed, but nodded. "I promise…"

He nodded and sighed, sinking into her arms. "The best way to avenge Uzushio… is to make sure you live a happy life." His exhausted eyes flickered to Minato, who watched on solemnly. "Be happy, Kushina." He chuckled weakly. "Your grandmother would have been so proud…"

Then he took his last breath and faded away.

Kushina wailed in a low, agonized voice, and clutched her uncle's body to her, crying. Minato watched helplessly, knowing that even he couldn't comfort her right now. He turned to his students. Kakashi had watched on, an inscrutable expression in his eyes, and Obito had looked away. Rin was crying, tears flowing down her cheeks.

Jiraiya burst in right then. "Minato. We have to go," he said tersely. His eyes fell upon Kushina and Hayate and he frowned sadly. "We have to bring Kushina to Konoha."

Minato nodded silently and crouched at Kushina's side. "Kushina, it's time to go."

She sobbed, but allowed herself to be drawn up and led away, clutching Minato as she cried. Jiraiya glanced behind him. "Let's go," he said.

Minato nodded again and gently picked Kushina up into his arms. As she was borne away from the village of Uzushiogakure, the village continued to burn, the black smoke twisting up into the air and obscuring the stars and the moon in a menacing cloud.


	12. Chapter 12

**Omg, I am finally done with To Love A Jinchuuriki! xD This is the first time I've finished a multi-chapter fanfiction! YAY~ lol Anyway, this was originally meant to be the epilogue, but I've got something else planned so... I guess this isn't really the true ending. Or it is. Or whatever. Review and thanks for putting up with me for so long! :D Love you guys!**

* * *

**Chapter 12**

**Three years later…**

A lone figure stepped among the dilapidated ruins. Though it's been three years since that incident, nature has already held firm over the ruined village. There was grass and weeds growing where once there was none, vines had crept up cracked pillars, and the river had swollen, the broken bridges still arched over it.

Kushina Uzumaki gently touched a dusty, dirt-covered rail by one of the bridges. She looked over it and remembered when she and Minato had stood over this very bridge, discussing why the villagers had hated her back then.

She sighed and turned away, heading upriver, remembering. She looked up and saw the charred ruins of what was once the Kage's home. Kushina bowed her head and turned away.

"It's been a while," she whispered to the still air. Closing her eyes, she thought she could still hear the bright laughter and chattering crowd as they milled around throughout the village.

"Kushina." She opened her eyes and turned.

Minato walked over to her, a sad smile on his face. She smiled back, just as sorrowfully, and looked over the crumbled buildings once again. "We should be heading back," he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. His other hand went to her swollen belly. "I don't want you standing up so long. You could strain your back or something."

"You worry too much, Kushina teased. She looked down at her stomach, smiling with genuine happiness as she ran her hands over the bulge. "Besides, he's settled down right now. He kicked me on the way here."

The Yondaime smiled and put his hand over hers. "Our little Naruto. Already turning out to be like his mother, I see."

Kushina stuck her tongue out at him childishly and he kissed her cheek. "Let's go," he said softly.

"Alright," she replied and didn't look back as she was once again led out of Uzushio for the last time.


	13. Chapter 13: Epilogue

**I want to thank everyone who read this fanfiction, everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed, and just basically take time out of your lives to read this. I'm sorry it took so long, but I hope you are satisfied with the end results. I hope you guys will follow my other fanfictions! **

**I probably should've expanded on this epilogue, but I thought it's perfect anyway. Review and once again, thank you for reading To Love A Jinchuuriki! :D**

* * *

**Epilogue**

"I'm glad I ended up being your son!" Naruto grinned widely, a smile of genuine happiness.

Tears trickled down Kushina's face as she reached forward to embrace her son even as she began to disappear. _Did you hear that, Minato? Our love reached him after all!_ "Naruto… Thank you for letting me be your mother, for letting Minato be your father. Thank you for being our son…"

She turned her head and touched her lips to his whiskered cheek. _Thank you…_

She closed her eyes and gave herself away to the brightness.

* * *

When her eyes opened again, she found herself on a grassy plain. The sky above was a rich sky blue and dotted with fluffy white clouds. Sunlight streamed from the sky.

Kushina looked around. She was alone. The warm wind blew in her hair and tugged at her clothes. A strange feeling came over her and she began to walk, following the wind into a forest.

Birds twittered, but they were nowhere to be seen. A squirrel chattered somewhere above her head. But besides that, there was no sound but the wind.

The wind picked up and Kushina began to run. She had to reach the end of the forest. A light shone at the end and she burst out to the edges of another field, but this one was larger than the one before it.

In the distance was a village. Even from here, she could discern towers, smoke, and even the tiny figures of people on the outskirts. To the left was a long river that was so far it was no more than a silver line. To the right, the forest continued to stretch into the distance.

Right before her was a small hill. And standing on the hill, facing her, the white and red cloak shifting in the breeze as his spiky yellow locks swayed, was Minato, his smile wide and his eyes bluer than the sky and alight with joy.

Kushina could feel a smile growing on her face. She took one step, then another, and suddenly she was running. Minato stepped down the hill and met her at the base, pulling her immediately into his embrace.

"I missed you," he whispered against her hair, breathing in her scent.

"I missed you too." She clung to him, feeling his warmth, the silky strands of his hair, the way he always seemed to fit perfectly against her.

They drew back and pressed their mouths together, luxuriating, basking in each other's presence. Minato broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against hers. "I love you, Kushina."

She smiled and kissed him again. "I love you too, Minato."


End file.
